Omaha Hi-Lo (also known as Omaha/8 or better) is frequently viewed as one of the most difficult but favored poker variations. It’s a variation that, even more than normal Omaha poker, aims for action from all levels of players. This is the primary reason why a once irrelevant game, has grown in acceptance so rapidly.

Omaha/8 begins like a normal game of Omaha. Four cards are handed out to each player. A sequence of betting follows in which players can wager, check, or drop out. 3 cards are given out, this is called the flop. One more round of betting ensues. After all the gamblers have either called or dropped out, an additional card is revealed on the turn. Another sequence of wagering ensues at which point the river card is flipped. The gamblers will have to make the best high and low 5 card hands using the board and hole cards.

This is the point where a number of players can get flustered. Unlike Texas Hold ‘Em, in which the board can be every player’s hand, in Omaha hi/lo the player has to utilize exactly three cards on the board, and exactly two cards from their hand. Not a single card more, not a single card less. Contrary to normal Omaha, there are 2 ways a pot could be won: the "high hand" or the "lower hand."

A high hand is just what it sounds like. It is the best hand out of every player’s, regardless if it is a straight, flush, full house, etc. It’s the very same approach in almost all poker games.

The low hand is more complex, but certainly free’s up the action. When figuring out a low hand, straights and flushes don’t count. the lowest hand is the worst hand that can be made, with the lowest being made up of A-2-3-4-5. Since straights and flushes don’t count, A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible hand. The low hand is any five card hand (unpaired) with an 8 and lower. The low hand wins half of the pot, as does the high hand. When there is no low hand available, the high hand wins the whole pot.

Although it seems complicated initially, following a couple of rounds you will be agile enough to pick up on the basic subtleties of play simply enough. Seeing as you have people betting for the low and wagering for the high, and since so many cards are being used at the same time, Omaha Hi-Lo provides an overwhelming assortment of betting possibilities and seeing that you have many players trying for the high hand, and several trying for the low hand. If you prefer a game with a plethora of outs and actions, it’s not a waste of your time to compete in Omaha hi/lo.